As computer systems and data communications systems have developed, the number and variety of hard copy output engines employed in a typical office or factory setting has grown. Examples include photo copiers, facsimile machines, printers and devices including more than one of these capabilities. In turn, this has led to a need to be able to order greater amounts of consumable supplies, some of which are specific to specific types of hard copy output engines.
As need for these types of hard copy output engines has grown, a number of different manufacturers have developed different hard copy output engines providing different operational characteristics and capabilities. While some consumable commodities associated with these devices are common to most or all such devices (e.g., standardized paper sizes), other consumable commodities, such as toners and toner supply cartridges or ink reservoirs, tend to be unique to a specific manufacturer and may be unique to a specific product line from that manufacturer. Additionally, different hard copy output engines may have different paper capacities, capabilities for accepting more or fewer paper sizes and different toner or other pigment supply requirements and capacities.
It is generally helpful to have a mechanism for scheduling and tracking orders of consumable commodities and/or service in keeping computer systems functional. For example, it is extremely helpful to ensure that adequate supplies of replacement paper and toner or ink are available when needed. Additionally, billing for usage of hard copy engines may require costs to be split in various ways, which may be difficult to keep track of.
Coordination of orders for supplies can be very helpful to avoid over- or under-stocking of these consumable commodities, while still achieving the benefits of economies of scale by pooling orders to service multiple hard copy output engines, especially those using at least some of the same consumable commodities. However, in many business settings, the sheer number of diverse hard copy output engines being used in different aspects or divisions of the business may lead to confusion in maintaining adequate supplies of these consumable commodities and in scheduling replacement of consumable commodities as well as scheduling preventative maintenance.
What is needed is a way to facilitate scheduling replacement of consumable commodities, as well as scheduling preventative maintenance, for one or more hard copy output engines that are included in a network.